The game begins in with Niko Bellic arriving at the Broker Navy Yard aboard the cargo ship Platypus [18]. Niko, a Serbian war veteran, has emigrated to the United States to escape a past of human trafficking and betrayal, lured by his cousin Roman's letters detailing a life of "the American Dream"—mansions, sports cars, and wealth [10, 11]. The prologue immediately subverts these expectations:
The mission ends with Roman promising that tomorrow will be better. He gives Niko a simple cell phone (the game’s communication hub) and tells him to get some rest. The final shot of the prologue is Niko alone in the dark apartment, listening to the rain and the distant sirens. The player understands: this is not a story about rising to the top of the criminal underworld. It is a story about survival, betrayal, and the crushing weight of the past in a city that promises everything but delivers nothing. gta 4 prologue
The speedboat sliced through black water. Dawn threatened to break the night into pieces. Marco looked at Kline and the case and thought of the scarred man’s voice, of the men who chased them, and of a life that had grown roots in violent soil. The game begins in with Niko Bellic arriving
This serves as the game’s tutorial and introductory mission. He gives Niko a simple cell phone (the
Visually, the prologue immediately separates itself from previous GTAs: